Vicki Gunvalson, known as the "OG of the OC" for her pioneering role in the inaugural "Real Housewives" cast two decades ago, recently opened up about the personal toll the long-running reality series has taken on her family.
While Gunvalson has made a return to the Southern California franchise and is featured in "The Real Housewives Ultimate Girls Trip: Roaring 20th" celebrating the show's 20-year milestone, she admitted that her family has not embraced the Bravo production with the same enthusiasm she has.
Daughter Shuns the Spotlight After Husband's Portrayal
Gunvalson, 64, disclosed to The Hollywood Reporter that her daughter, Briana Culberson, 39, desires "nothing to do" with the series. This stance comes years after how her military husband was depicted on the reality program.
Briana, who has appeared in several episodes alongside her mother over the years, was reportedly invited to return for season 20, but she showed no interest in facing the cameras again. She allegedly told Bravo executive Andy Cohen to "please lose my number" when he inquired about a special appearance.
"My children are now 39 and 40," Gunvalson stated. "My son did a film this year. My daughter wants nothing to do with it."
Gunvalson elaborated on her daughter's reluctance, explaining that Briana's husband, Ryan Culberson, a Marine Corps veteran who completed six overseas tours, experienced PTSD, and the show presented him in an unfavorable light. "Her husband just got back from the Marine Corps — six tours overseas — and he’s got some PTSD, and they really showed a bad light of him. She just was like, 'Mom, I want nothing to do with it.' I’m like, 'Can you do a cameo? Can you come on for a little bit?'"
She added, "Andy even called her for this season and she was like, 'Please lose my number.' What the show did to their family was not good."
Briana and Ryan Culberson have been married for 15 years and share four children.
Family Dynamics and Geographic Distance
Gunvalson's son, Michael, 40, recently appeared in a "RHOC" episode, where he revealed he hadn't seen his sister in eight years. "I mean, I haven’t even met two of her kids," he commented, noting the situation was "Not good."
In a confessional, Gunvalson expressed her sadness about the distance separating her children: "It absolutely sucks that my kids live far away. Mike’s in Spain, Briana lives in Oklahoma. They talk all the time, they FaceTime. But it’s definitely better to be in person."
She continued, "I see other families have their kids over on Sunday dinner, and I don’t have that. It’s not what I’d ever planned, but it’s their life."
The Marital Toll of Reality Television
The challenges of "Housewives" also deeply affected Gunvalson's personal life, as she confessed that her former husband once presented her with an ultimatum between their marriage and the show. She made a choice she now regrets.
"It killed mine," she said of the "RHOC" influence on her marriage. "When Scott [Dunlop] approached me and Donn [Gunvalson, Vicki’s then-husband] at the time about doing this pilot, Donn’s like, 'There’s no way we’re doing this in our family.'"
Donn had predicted the outcome, stating, "He was like, 'Anybody that goes on TV is going to get divorced.' I’m like, 'We’re not going to get divorced. We’re fine.' And obviously, fast-forward, we got divorced."
She concluded, "My family was more important than the show, and it broke apart."
Fellow reality star Porsha Williams offered a nuanced perspective on the matter, suggesting, "Two things can be true. The show can strain a marriage, but it can also reveal things about that marriage — or about yourself — that you needed to know." Gunvalson concurred, adding her own observation: "If the marriage is weak, it’s going to fall apart."
